Uni's , the ADF see poor school grades as either a lack of ability or laziness make no mistake. Nobody wants lazy people who at times choose not to give their best on their books. The top Unis only want the top 10% of year 12 grads.
Sure the ADF will take on people who school didn't go well for as Pilots / Officers , but in a competitive sense you are going to be behind the eight ball and it is going to take some explaining. Same for QF when they hired , vast majority really quite strong year 12s.
Everyone knows the Pilot Academics aren't much, that is why people with a year 10 education can get through ATPLs in a few months - there just ain't a whole lot there. And if you think there is - well you just haven't been alive. So Morno I wouldn't be growing that having "go the ATPLs" equates to any earth shattering academic achievement.
I think you guys are referring to pre-GFC boom-times in terms of transitioning to an airline - you talk like you can just say "I shall have an airline job now thank you". No so simple over last two years , QF zip , Virgin zip, J* - maybe 50 a year at best - going mainly to cadets as we know , Tiger bit of a trickle.
Then have a look at the market in Aust , 85 dash 8s , 50 metros , 60 Saabs , 20 Braz's , 20 ATRs , 20 Fokker 50s , 130 King Airs , 50 Conquests etc etc etc. So likely 3000 regional/corporate pilots with significant turbo/ high perf piston time. That is a lot of applications.
Then there is the ADF , graduates about 120 per year into the squadrons, which in good times mean 100 plus per annum leaving. Not so now , all squadrons significantly overstocked , aside from FJ.
Then you will also be competing against those aussies wishing to return from OS.
Quite likely the Jetstar option will go, as it is the logical destination for QF to send surplus numbers to.
Almost all of the "first airline" jobs in Asia seem to have gone now as well.
So in the current context I would think that for the less than one hundred jet jobs in Australia the hard data says there are thousands of qualified applicants. At best an applicant might have say a one in twenty chance - 5%